Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, we have coverage from World Space Business Week in Paris, plus Cygnus arrives at the ISS, U.S. and U.K. Space Commands conduct joint operations and more.
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| By Jeff Foust A Cygnus cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station Sept. 19 after a one-day delay caused by a thruster issue.
The station's Canadarm2 robotic arm grappled the Northrop Grumman-built Cygnus XL spacecraft at 7:24 a.m. Eastern after the spacecraft arrived its designated capture point near the station. The arm will then berth the module to a port on the station's Unity module.
Cygnus, launched to the ISS on the NG-23 mission Sept. 14, was scheduled to arrive at the station about 24 hours earlier. However, NASA announced late Sept. 16 it was postponing the spacecraft's arrival after the main engine on Cygnus shut down prematurely during two burns earlier in the day.
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WORLD SPACE BUSINESS WEEK
| | Space Norway and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. are working together on a radar satellite for maritime domain awareness, the first of potentially several such spacecraft. The two companies announced Sept. 19 that they are collaborating on a satellite with a C-band synthetic aperture radar optimized for collecting data over large parts of the ocean.
Space is a strategic priority under Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 strategy to help diversify its economy away from hydrocarbons and toward technology and innovation. SpaceNews' Jason Rainbow caught up with Neo Space Group CEO Martijn Blanken to dig deeper into priorities he outlined during a Sept. 16 fireside chat at World Space Business Week.
In the latest Space Minds episode of our CEO Series, SpaceNews' Mike Gruss talks with Novaspace CEO Pacôme Révillon. They discuss the accelerating race in direct-to-device satellite communications, the surge in defense spending and dual-use technologies and the growing role of sovereignty in global space strategies. Révillon also shares insights on consolidation trends within the industry, the future of AI in space applications and predictions for what's ahead in launch and defense markets. | | |
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| Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology Ltd., also known as iSpace, announced funding worth $98 million (700 million yuan) in Series D+ funding Sept. 18, part of which will go towards development of the medium-lift Hyperbola-3 launcher. The financing follows D-round funding worth tens of millions of dollars announced in March this year.
U.S. Space Command and U.K. Space Command announced Sept. 18 they have conducted their first coordinated satellite maneuvers, known as rendezvous and proximity operations, just months after the U.S. revealed it had conducted similar operations with France.
Blue Origin is retiring a New Shepard capsule that flew a dozen uncrewed missions over nearly eight years. The capsule, RSS H.G. Wells, launched atop its booster at 9 a.m. Eastern Sept. 19 from the company's Launch Site One in West Texas. The NS-35 mission carried dozens of research payloads, but no people, marking Blue Origin's seventh suborbital flight this year. | | |
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SPONSORED |  | By CSO Co., Ltd. Earth observation is no longer just about capturing images from orbit — it is about delivering insights that shape how societies respond to global challenges. CSO Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of CONTEC, is at the forefront of this transformation. Founded in 2023, the company is pioneering very high-resolution electro-optical camera systems for CubeSats and microsatellites, bringing capabilities once reserved for large platforms into smaller, faster, and more agile missions. | | |
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OPINION
| | By Alexander MacDonald, Jim Bell and Dani Mendoza DellaGiustina
We are fewer than four years away from what may be the most significant near-Earth asteroid event of the 21st century. On April 13, 2029, the asteroid Apophis — named for the Egyptian god of chaos — will pass so close to Earth that it will be visible to the naked eye across much of the globe. Nearly a third of a mile wide and weighing over 27 billion kilograms, Apophis will pass just 20,000 miles from Earth — closer than our geosynchronous satellites.
While Apophis poses no immediate danger, it offers an unmatched opportunity to prepare for future threats. Its close approach (on Friday the 13th) will mark a historic near miss. Apophis is just one of thousands of potentially hazardous asteroids that demand our attention. And in terms of projecting global space leadership, the nation that leads at Apophis will be seen as the dominant force in planetary defense.
| | By Dhaval Jadav
By Casey Anglada DeRaad
| SpaceNews is committed to publishing our community's diverse perspectives. Whether you're an academic, executive, engineer or even just a concerned citizen of the cosmos, send your arguments and viewpoints to opinion@spacenews.com to be considered for publication online or in our next magazine. The perspectives shared in these op-eds are solely those of the authors.
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FROM SPACENEWS |  | Nominations close today! Do you know an individual, company or breakthrough that's making waves in the space industry? Nominations for the 2025 SpaceNews Icon Awards are open, and we want you to share who you think deserves to be recognized for innovation, leadership and impact in space. Categories include Lifetime Achievement, Emerging Space Company, Innovative Technology and more — view the full list and submit your picks. |
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Sign up for our other newsletters First Up: The latest civil, commercial and military space news, curated by veteran journalist Jeff Foust. Delivered Monday to Friday mornings. Military Space: Veteran defense journalist Sandra Erwin delivers news and insights for the military space professional. Delivered Tuesday. China Report: Analysis of China's space activities and what it means as one of the United States' top competitors from correspondent Andrew Jones. Delivered every other Wednesday. SpaceNext AI: Exploring the intersection of space and artificial intelligence. Delivered Thursday. Video & Audio: Upcoming live programs, scheduled guests, and recent Space Minds podcast episodes, webinars and other events. Delivered Friday. Marketing Minute: Covering PR, marketing, and advertising trends, upcoming SpaceNews opportunities, and editorial insights for communications and marketing leaders. Delivered monthly. |
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